Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
You all have posted tons of pics of good-looking ladies in skimpy clothes and bikinis in the forum. Some of you are lucky enough to be dating or married to some of the babes in the shots, a sampling of which is posted after the jump. Supposedly, the pictures also have Jeeps in them. See if you can spot them.
I wouldn’t call the new Renegade the most American Jeep on the planet. It’s built in Italy and shares DNA with the Fiat 500X. How fitting that Automobile’s Georg Kacher drove a Euro-spec version of it through the Austrian Alps. Read about his trip after the jump.
Since we knew we were going to be bombing around in a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler for a week, we opened the online floor to answer all your questions about her.
The Willys Wheeler is being delivered to my driveway as I write this. Feel free to ask me about its street/freeway manners and off-road behavior, plus any of its other characteristics that come to your mind.
Jeep’s reputation for producing legendary off-roaders made life difficult for my 2014 Compass tester. It didn’t get the same treatment as my previous review vehicles from other manufacturers. It was a Jeep — and a “Trail Rated” one at that.
